CHILD WELFARE MANUAL

9.5 Tasks to Support Plan

  1. Determine the legal and service actions, which must occur to support the selected permanency plan.
  2. Document a record of casework action and parental behavior that will support the satisfactory closing of a case, a restoration plan, be admissible evidence in a termination hearing if the parents do not respond to the case/treatment plan, or a voluntary release by the parent(s) of the child for adoption:
    1. Enter in the case record, chronologically, all attempts and actual contacts, in person or by telephone, with parents and collaterals.
    2. Summarize important decisions or requests made during interviews in a follow-up letter to the client or collateral. A copy of the letter is filed in the case record.
  3. Execute the permanency plan.
  4. Request court review, permanency hearing or other administrative review (by appropriate supervisory level) according to the timeframes defined below to assure that procedural safeguards are applied and that progress toward a permanency plan is being achieved.
  5. The Child Assessment and Service Plan, CS-1, must be completed within 30 days of custody, and every 30 days thereafter until adjudication.  After adjudication occurs, the CS-1 should be completed every six (6) months and when a major change in the case occurs such as a change in the permanency plan or placement change.
  6. Complete the Adolescent FST Guide (CD94), Individualized Action Plan Goals (CD94), and life skills assessment tool of the Children’s Service Worker’s choice to assist with youth engagement, assessment, and goal development for youth age 14 and over, when a youth first comes into care or turns age fourteen.  The Adolescent FST Guide (CD94) and Individualized Action Plan Goals (CD94) should be re-evaluated on an on-going basis and presented at each FST or PPRT.   A referral to Chafee Foster Care Independence Program Services should be made through FACES on the Referral-Chafee Independence Services screen when first coming into care and each time a youth moves to another region.
  7. Request supervisory review for children in care as follows:
    1. Regional office at 15 months of treatment services; and
    2. Central office, at request of Regional office, as necessary.
  8. Seek a court permanency hearing no later than 12 months after the date the child is considered to have entered foster care and not less frequently than every 12 months thereafter during the continuation of care. The permanency hearing shall be for the purpose of determining whether the child should be continued in foster care; returned to a parent, guardian, relative, or kinship; or proceedings should be instituted to terminate parental rights (TPR) and legally free such child for adoption. (See section 210.720, RSMo, Missouri Laws relating to the Children’s Division.)

    The report to the court prior to a court permanency hearing shall include, but is not limited to the following:

    1. The current placement status of the child;
    2. The interrelationship of the child with his/her foster parents, parents, siblings, and any other significant person;
    3. The child’s adjustment to his/her foster home, school and community;
    4. The mental and physical health of all individuals involved, including any history of abuse; and
    5. The child’s need for a continuing relationship with his/her parents and their ability and willingness to adequately parent the child.

    NOTE:  In any judicial proceeding involving the custody of a child, the fact that a report may have been made pursuant to Section 210.110 to 210.165 shall not be admissible. However, nothing in this section shall prohibit the introduction of evidence from independent sources to support the allegations that may have caused a report to have been made as required in 210.145, RSMo.

  9. Request the court amend the current court order if any treatment services recommended in the long-term permanency treatment plan are deleted, or if the permanency goal changes.

    A court may have its own format for reporting information for the court review. If so, this format should be used. When this occurs, submit a copy of the CS-1, in addition to the required court report, unless the court specifically objects.

    A permanency hearing is considered to be a “review.”  This includes those cases in which the court has held a TPR permanency hearing, determined that it is not in the best interest of the child to terminate parental rights, and retained jurisdiction of the child.

  10. Obtain administrative reviews from appropriate staff by end of 90-day treatment periods if selected plan is not progressing by 180 days, 270 days, etc.
  11. Update FACES appropriately with the date for the type of review or permanency hearing that has occurred.
  12. Receive and implement recommendations of any review including:
    1. Permanency Planning Review; and
    2. Court review.
  13. Terminate reviews when a permanent plan has been achieved.

    Permanency plans can include one of the following:

    1. Reunification with parent(s);
    2. Adoption decree granted; or
    3. The court has approved a permanent legal guardianship with a resource provider family.

      Subsequent to the mandatory 12-month permanency hearing exc eptions are allowed for the annual 12-month permanency hearings. Exceptions allowed include:

      1. Children in a court approved permanent legal guardianship placement with a resource provider; and
      2. Children, free for adoption and placed with an adoptive family, if adopted within a reasonable time.

    Should interim progress toward a child permanency plan be disrupted because a child is returned to the Division’s custody, an administrative review, including the FST, and court reports, must be rescheduled by the sixth month. A new case plan CS-1must also be developed and submitted to the FST and court within 30 days from the date of the plan’s disruption.

Chapter Memoranda History: (prior to 1/31/07)

Memoranda History: